Cheese
by silvrobin
Summary: Starfire's having a baby and Dick has promised he'd be there. Except he's out fighting crime. Donna is going to kill him. Can he make it in time to see Mar'i born?


This one takes place a bunch of years after TT ends. In my headcanon baby Mar'i exists because she's too adorable not to, and Iunno if Dick was there or not when she was born but _he should have been._

I wish I had a Donna.

* * *

Dick was in _serious _trouble.

The monster they were fighting wasn't so much the issue as that he was pressed for time. The former Boy Wonder backflipped out of the way of an oncoming tail and landed, skidding on his feet. It was dark and the ground was slick with an earlier rain. Humidity caused his hair to stick to his forehead and it felt like he had a layer of slime over his second skin of a supersuit. Nightwing shifted his grip on his escrima sticks, his lower fingers curling around it tightly for a more effective club grip, and charged.

Sometimes it was just kind of awesome not to think and to let years of training take over. His sticks hit a fleshy weak point that the prodigy had figured out on the side of the swinging head, causing the monster to let loose a shriek of pain. Unfortunately it also barreled the young man over, and he bounced on the hard concrete wishing he had the sturdiness of Bruce. As it was, however, Nightwing wasn't fighting alone tonight. A line of arrows covered him as the monster looked up from the boy in the black and blue spandex to a red clad archer who was firing shot after shot. Then, in a blur, the original target was gone.

Kid Flash set him on his feet and Dick couldn't help but scowl at his best friend. He hadn't _needed _the help. But he supposed he'd have to take it anyway. "Thanks, Wal," he said softly.

Dick didn't hear Wally's response because the com was going off. He tapped the side of his head to activate it and instantly winced as a voice rang in his head. "RICHARD JOHN GRAYSON!"

Donna was _pissed. _Crap.

He instantly silenced the call without thinking, because _that _was clearly the best way to keep Donna from mauling him later, and jumped back into the fight. Saving the city was the most important thing. It came before _anything else_. It even came before family. "Heeeey!" he was shouting, waving his arms to distract the creature so KF could get in there and trip it up. An exploding wingding drew the monster's attention back to Nightwing, and the giant reptilian beast swung it's massive head around to look at the young man who was shouting. "YOUR MOTHER WAS A SALAMANDER!"

While the words didn't actually mean anything to the creature it was still going to eat that pesky human that kept attacking it. What it didn't notice, however, was the speedster winding between it's legs. A flashbang to the face later and the monster was on the ground. Nightwing managed to keep his balance as the ground rattled below him with the impact of the beast hitting the road. He raced forward to help the others but was stopped when he got a com call from Roy.

"We've got this," the older boy was saying, his voice making it clear he expected Dick (who was usually the leader) to do what he was told. "Dick, you need to go. We'll catch up with you later. Kori needs you." there was a pause and then the other man told him something so candid that Nightwing took it to heart. "And I'd have given _anything _to see my own daughter born."

Dick didn't need a second invitation. "Nightwing out," was the only response the former Boy Wonder gave as he pulled out his grappling hook and propelled himself up to the rooftops. It would be easier to scale the roofs then it would be to make his way through the blockades set up against the monster. As soon as the young man hit the rooftops he began to run. Dick didn't have time to think again. His body just went straight into action, the even rhythm of his feet hitting the rooftiles matched his breathing and his heartbeat. He effortlessly jumped alleyways, swung across streets, and slid down sloped roofs.

The only reason Dick had even gone out, so he told himself, was because the monster was attacking the same city they were currently in because of the hospital. It had a special wing for superheroes and it was well known as one of the best. Of _course _Starfire would go there to have her baby. A few blocks from the hospital the rooftops changed and Dick was forced down to the street. He swung off a lamp post, landing on the ground with the grace of a cat before continuing his run along the city streets. Kori would understand him being late. She had been the one who had allowed him to go with Roy and Wally and a few of the others to fight the monster in the first place because she knew just how agonizing it was for him to watch and be able to do nothing. Donna on the other hand, Donna was going to _kill _him for leaving Kori at a time like this.

The sight of Nightwing, the scuffs and rips in his costume along with his wild hair making him look manic, barreling through the doors of the hospital were enough to stop most people in their tracks. A few transfixed orderlies watched as the young superhero ran past, and one little girl turned to her Daddy to shout something about her favorite superhero being Wonder Woman but something Dick didn't get a chance to catch as he dashed through another set of swinging doors. He had the security clearance for the wing and so they let him in with minimal impatient fidgeting on Dick's part.

As soon as the doors opened Dick was running down the halls like a doberman on tiles. He skidded to a halt in front of Beast Boy and Cyborg who had been relegated to the hallway, since there were only so many people that could fit in one room. Especially with a pregnant woman. Cyborg reached out a hand to steady his friend.

"Donna's been trying to get a hold of you!" Beast Boy was the first to speak and the urgency in the changeling's voice reminded him of how much the kid had grown. The green teen's voice so rarely squeaked like that anymore. But this _was _a nerve-wracking moment. "The baby is almost here!"

The sound of the changeling's voice must have alerted Donna because she was in the doorway quicker than Dick thought the girl could move. "There you are!" she was marching forward and grabbing Dick by the arm. Cyborg shot him a _sorry man _sort of look, while Beast Boy was busy trying to peer around Donna and into the room. The green teenager didn't get much of a look, however, as the former Wonder Girl dragged Dick inside and slammed the door shut behind him. "What did you think you were doing?" Donna's voice was soft but insistent and she was glaring at him like he'd personally offended her.

He jolted forward, a shove from Donna forcing him to move, and suddenly he was besides Kori. She smiled up at him, though it was easy to see that she was in pain. He reached out to grasp her hand and she easily slipped her tan fingers between his paler ones. "I'm so happy to see you," was all she said.

Nightwing's masked gaze searched the other woman in the room. Raven had been standing at Starfire's side, opposite where he was now, and she was entirely silent. It appeared as if she was concentrating on something and her face looked just as pained and tired as Starfire's. He should have known. The young man's expression softened in gratitude and then the grip on his hand increased so much he was too distracted with pain to be thankful. Starfire had lurched forward gasping and gripping his hand like it was the only thing anchoring her to this world. He heard as well as _felt _the bones of his hand snap in her grip. Luckily, she didn't seem to notice or she would have been more distraught.

Slowly, Dick bent down so that he was closer to eye level with Kori on the bed, his face close enough he could have moved those few inches to kiss her easily. But that was _so _not appropriate now. Instead he reached out with his good hand, the one she _didn't _have a death-grip on, and smoothed some of the red hair he was so fond of back from her damp forehead. "Everything will be just fine, Kori," he said softly. "Just breathe."

She was as perfect as ever as he led her through the breathing exercises. She had always been so patient and kind, and _passionate. _He was easily the luckiest man alive. As time wore on he lost feeling in the hand that Kori was gripping, though he made sure to never let on, and the doctor kept edging around Donna who looked like a disgruntled mother bear whose cubs were being threatened. Raven stayed silent at her post, stoic as ever, until suddenly he felt Kori shift besides him as she slumped back in relief. He glanced up at Raven who held the ghost of a smile on her face and who looked utterly exhausted. It was then that he heard the baby cry.

To describe that singular moment would have been impossible for the no longer last of the Flying Graysons. "It's a girl." The cord was cut, and the baby was cleaned up, and suddenly he was holding a tiny human in the crook of his right arm. She was mystifying perfect. The eyes that stared up at him were huge, green, and reminded him of the woman he loved. They had a moment, father and daughter, simply staring at each other until the baby began to cry again and Dick awkwardly passed the little one to Starfire. He would never forget the look on Starfire's face when she held her baby for the first time. The love in those green eyes was indescribable.

"I wanna meet her!" Donna could not hold back the flood of excited testosterone as Beast Boy, Cyborg, Kid Flash, and Arsenal all tumbled into the room to crowd around Kori. The look on the green teenager's face was adorably reverent as Starfire let him hold the now sleeping baby. Wally gave Dick a wink and a nudge with his shoulder, while Roy simply put a hand on Dick's other shoulder and gave a curt approving nod. Dick was pretty sure five years ago he would have gotten a stupid pun instead.

Then Raven was at his side and she was gingerly reaching out for his injured hand. It was enveloped in energy and he felt it tingle, until it felt almost as good as new. Raven's eyelids dropped. "You didn't have to do that," Dick said softly. "But thank you. Thank you for everything." he pulled the empath into a hug, which she didn't resist, before he was pulled back into the fray.

"I want a photo of the happy family!" Donna announced, camera in hand. Dick sat on the bed next to Kori, wrapping his arm around her shoulders and smiling down at the tiny baby in her lap. With his free hand he gestured for the rest of them to join them. It wouldn't be their _real _family with only Dick and Kori in the photo. The Titans closed ranks.

"Donna, get in here!" Dick demanded his voice light and full of laughter.

As though uncertain of leaving such a device in the hands of others the young amazon princess handed her camera reluctantly over to an orderly and jumped into the picture.

"Okay, everybody say cheese!"

"CHEESE!"


End file.
